What we want

Published: Friday, December 24, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 9:49 p.m.

My godson, Kaegen, has officially moved from childhood to his teen years.

It’s a switch that occurs not so much in relation to calendars and grades but in the way one looks at the world.

How can we tell the way someone is seeing the world? Through his Christmas wishes, of course.

When we are very young, innocent and full of wonder, we want toys and games. They let us play out the contents of our imaginations.

I remember the days when Kaegen looked forward to the games and toys that would greet him under the tree on Christmas morning.

There is usually one “big” present that captures the imagination in the weeks leading up to the big day, but even those big gifts aren’t that big.

Not at first. As a child grows older, though, the asked-for gifts of Christmas evolve.

Toys give way to other gifts. In Kaegen’s case, they tended to be sports-related paraphernalia such as Saints jerseys or posters.

But when one enters in earnest the realm of the electronic Christmas, he is officially a teen.

A few years ago, Kaegen asked for and got a laptop computer, a first sign that he was no longer a toy-and-game Christmas boy.

This year, though, the break is complete. All he wants for Christmas is an iPhone.

For some reason, that gift struck me and got me thinking about the fleeting nature of childhood and our changing desires.

In keeping with that theme, I started tabulating a mental list of some of the most-memorable Christmas presents — wanted or not.

One of the first presents I remember asking for for Christmas, as opposed to those I got up Christmas morning and found through the goodness and generosity of Santa Claus and my mom and dad, was a Washington Redskins uniform.

I grew up in central Virginia, the heart of the Redskins nation, and I was a diehard fan of the maroon and gold. I idolized Billy Kilmer, then Joe Theismann because they led my team on Sundays.

Well, I really wanted a uniform — shoulder pads and all — so I could run around in the yard and pretend like I was John Riggins running over the helpless opposition.

It didn’t really work out. I got up Christmas morning and found beneath the tree all sorts of Redskins items, a coat, gloves, a stocking cap (all pretty important in that part of the country). But no uniform. How could this be?

Santa, my mother patiently explained, could not get a real uniform. I don’t remember her using words such as monopoly and trademark, but I now suspect those were part of the problem.

I still remember, though, how proudly I wore that Redskins stuff to school after the holiday break. The yellow plastic sleeves and the snap-up maroon front were unmistakable and could surely be seen from blocks away.

Another time, much later, as a starving college student, I returned home for Christmas. Just after Christmas, I was planning to take my girlfriend at the time to New York City, where my aunt and uncle lived and encouraged guests.

Under the tree that Christmas morning was a small box with some papers inside. A bit of inspection revealed the contents: two tickets to “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway.

At the time, I thought the gift a waste of money. How could people spend that much money on a few hours of entertainment? But I still remember that show, more so than anything else we saw or did on that trip.

It’s neat to think that some of the biggest Christmas memories I have are of things I didn’t really want.

What I never had to ask for, but what I always did get, was the loving generosity of my parents. That’s really what I remember.

So when Kaegen wakes up on Christmas and stumbles to the tree, he might be disappointed to not see an iPhone, but he’ll get over it by the time he’s 42. Right?

I guess my wife and I have decide whether it’s a risk we want to take.

Editorial Page Editor Michael Gorman can be reached at 448-7612 or by e-mail at mike.gorman@dailycomet.com.

<p>My godson, Kaegen, has officially moved from childhood to his teen years.</p><p>It's a switch that occurs not so much in relation to calendars and grades but in the way one looks at the world.</p><p>How can we tell the way someone is seeing the world? Through his Christmas wishes, of course.</p><p>When we are very young, innocent and full of wonder, we want toys and games. They let us play out the contents of our imaginations.</p><p>I remember the days when Kaegen looked forward to the games and toys that would greet him under the tree on Christmas morning.</p><p>There is usually one “big” present that captures the imagination in the weeks leading up to the big day, but even those big gifts aren't that big.</p><p>Not at first. As a child grows older, though, the asked-for gifts of Christmas evolve.</p><p>Toys give way to other gifts. In Kaegen's case, they tended to be sports-related paraphernalia such as Saints jerseys or posters.</p><p>But when one enters in earnest the realm of the electronic Christmas, he is officially a teen.</p><p>A few years ago, Kaegen asked for and got a laptop computer, a first sign that he was no longer a toy-and-game Christmas boy.</p><p>This year, though, the break is complete. All he wants for Christmas is an iPhone.</p><p>For some reason, that gift struck me and got me thinking about the fleeting nature of childhood and our changing desires.</p><p>In keeping with that theme, I started tabulating a mental list of some of the most-memorable Christmas presents — wanted or not.</p><p>One of the first presents I remember asking for for Christmas, as opposed to those I got up Christmas morning and found through the goodness and generosity of Santa Claus and my mom and dad, was a Washington Redskins uniform.</p><p>I grew up in central Virginia, the heart of the Redskins nation, and I was a diehard fan of the maroon and gold. I idolized Billy Kilmer, then Joe Theismann because they led my team on Sundays.</p><p>Well, I really wanted a uniform — shoulder pads and all — so I could run around in the yard and pretend like I was John Riggins running over the helpless opposition.</p><p>It didn't really work out. I got up Christmas morning and found beneath the tree all sorts of Redskins items, a coat, gloves, a stocking cap (all pretty important in that part of the country). But no uniform. How could this be?</p><p>Santa, my mother patiently explained, could not get a real uniform. I don't remember her using words such as monopoly and trademark, but I now suspect those were part of the problem.</p><p>I still remember, though, how proudly I wore that Redskins stuff to school after the holiday break. The yellow plastic sleeves and the snap-up maroon front were unmistakable and could surely be seen from blocks away.</p><p>Another time, much later, as a starving college student, I returned home for Christmas. Just after Christmas, I was planning to take my girlfriend at the time to New York City, where my aunt and uncle lived and encouraged guests.</p><p>Under the tree that Christmas morning was a small box with some papers inside. A bit of inspection revealed the contents: two tickets to “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway.</p><p>At the time, I thought the gift a waste of money. How could people spend that much money on a few hours of entertainment? But I still remember that show, more so than anything else we saw or did on that trip.</p><p>It's neat to think that some of the biggest Christmas memories I have are of things I didn't really want.</p><p>What I never had to ask for, but what I always did get, was the loving generosity of my parents. That's really what I remember.</p><p>So when Kaegen wakes up on Christmas and stumbles to the tree, he might be disappointed to not see an iPhone, but he'll get over it by the time he's 42. Right?</p><p>I guess my wife and I have decide whether it's a risk we want to take.</p><p>Editorial Page Editor Michael Gorman can be reached at 448-7612 or by e-mail at mike.gorman@dailycomet.com.</p>